Jan.09

Laboratory classes on the web

Biochimica del metabolismo

Metabolic Biochemistry

I had various contracts as Teaching Assistant for courses of Biochemistry  from 2009 to 2013. I was appointed to design laboratory experiences and to guide the students throughout the laboratory classes. In this period I started using a blog to interact with the students, to provide them with background knowledge and laboratory protocols, to spark their interest and to promote scientific discussions about the topics that we were studying and the techniques that we were practising. The result is Biochimica del metabolismo, a blog that has provided assistance for various scientific experiences and for various classes of students during the years, and that turned to be an interesting instrument also for other teachers.

The main laboratory experiences than can be easily reproduced by other educators with their pupils using the blog materials are:

Genomics

sampling metagenomics

From 2010 to 2013 I worked as Teaching Assistant for the course of Genomics, actively collaborating with Dr. Andrea Telatin at the design and realisation of innovative experiences to carry out with the students:

  • during the first course we prepared with the students a library of full length transcripts, we sequenced it and analysed the data;
  • during the following course we worked with the students at the finishing of a genome starting with the bioinformatics and guiding them through the realization of the experiments in the laboratory (PCR amplification of target sequences, sequencing and analysis);
  • finally we carried out the metagenomic analysis of a water sample from a local river again getting the students involved through all the complete experiment including both wet lab and bioinformatics. This time again we used the great potential of a blog (Blog of the Laboratory Experience of Metagenomics) to interact with the students and to guide them through a real scientific project.Hopefully the material that we published will serve other Teachers, which are planning to carry out a similar experiences with their students.

 

Structural Biochemistry

SYFP Experience Web page

From 2008 to 2012 I worked as Teaching Assistant for the Laboratories of Structural Biochemistry. I designed for the students a simple experience based on the expression and purification of SYFP, a yellow florescent protein that changes the spectral proprieties in response to changes in the pH of the environment. The students analysed the purified protein for purity, quantity and spectral properties in buffers with different pH. Finally they were asked to make hypotheses concerning possible structural properties that could justify the response of the protein to the different pH values. All the background knowledge, protocols and results of the experience were reported on a web site that I realised to assist the teaching. 

blogs,didactics,ideas for educators

Jan.09

Jan.09

Video Tutorials

I produce video-tutorials on various scientific topics to help students and educators . All the videos are available for visualisation, sharing and downloading on my youtube channel

Absorption emission difference

The video reports a schematic representation of the kinetic of the interaction between light radiation and matter during an absorb-emission process.

I produced the video for the students of the course of Biochemistry where I was the teaching assistant responsible for the Laboratories.

 

Bioethanol from sugar

The video shows an easy procedure to produce bioethanol via sucrose fermentation. The energy contained in the bioethanol is shown as a small current coming out from an ethanol fuel cell. The porpoise of the video is to provide a practical guide for teachers on how to carry out a didactic activity concerning bioethanol with their students. The video does not include observations about the energy balance or the ecology of the overall process, which are left to the teachers.

 

I originally produced the video for Fenice Green Energy Park as information material for the Park’s personnel involved in didactics.

 

Biodiesel from vegetable oil

The video shows the few simple steps of the procedure to produce small amounts of diesel from vegetable oil and it was meant as a practical guide for teachers. The video does not include observations about the energy balance or the ecology of the overall process, which are left to the teachers.

 

I originally produced this video for Fenice Green Energy Park  as information material for the Park’s personnel involved in didactics.

 

The contents of these videos were entirely realised by Elisa Corteggiani Carpinelli (texts, images, photos and videos) and they are free of licence. You can use and modify them freely, but please report the name of the original author while using it or publishing it.

didactics,ideas for educators,video tutorials